Narek Hakhnazaryan, Ulster Orchestra, Rafael Payare

In the late 1880s Tchaikovsky felt momentarily freed from the catastrophes that were haunting his private life and carving a tragic path through his career. His Fifth Symphony, which was taking shape on his desk, appears to ease the composer’s own suffering.

Light floods its textures; hopeful melodies invade its dark corners. Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare makes his Proms debut with his Ulster Orchestra to perform this most radiant of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies, bringing with him Haydn’s delightfully perky C major Cello Concerto and a brand-new work by Piers Hellawell.